{"title":"David I. Kertzer","description":"David I. Kertzer is the Paul Dupee, Jr. University Professor of Social Science and professor of anthropology and Italian studies at Brown University, where he served as provost from 2006 to 2011. He is the author of nine books, including The Popes Against the Jews,  which was a finalist for the Mark Lynton History Prize, and The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara,  which was a finalist for the National Book Award. He has twice been awarded the Marraro Prize from the Society for Italian Historical Studies for the best work on Italian history. He and his wife, Susan, live in Providence, Rhode Island.","products":[{"product_id":"the-kidnapping-of-edgardo-mortara-paperback","title":"The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSoon to be a major motion picture from Steven Spielberg. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eA National Book Award Finalist\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe extraordinary story of how the vatican's imprisonment of a six-year-old Jewish boy in 1858 helped to bring about the collapse of the popes' worldly power in Italy. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBologna: nightfall, June 1858. A knock sounds at the door of the Jewish merchant Momolo Mortara. Two officers of the Inquisition bust inside and seize Mortara's six-year-old son, Edgardo. As the boy is wrenched from his father's arms, his mother collapses. The reason for his abduction: the boy had been secretly \"baptized\" by a family servant. According to papal law, the child is therefore a Catholic who can be taken from his family and delivered to a special monastery where his conversion will be completed. \u003cbr\u003e With this terrifying scene, prize-winning historian David I. Kertzer begins the true story of how one boy's kidnapping became a pivotal event in the collapse of the Vatican as a secular power. The book evokes the anguish of a modest merchant's family, the rhythms of daily life in a Jewish ghetto, and also explores, through the revolutionary campaigns of Mazzini and Garibaldi and such personages as Napoleon III, the emergence of Italy as a modern national state. Moving and informative, \u003ci\u003ethe Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara\u003c\/i\u003e reads as both a historical thriller and an authoritative analysis of how a single human tragedy changed the course of history.\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eNational Book Award Finalist \u003cbr\u003eBologna, 1858: A police posse, acting on the orders of a Catholic inquisitor, invades the home of a Jewish merchant, Momolo Mortara, wrenches his crying six-year-old son from his arms, and rushes him off in a carriage bound for Rome. His mother is so distraught that she collapses and has to be taken to a neighbor's house, but her weeping can be heard across the city. With this terrifying scene--one that would haunt this family forever--David I. Kertzer begins his fascinating investigation of the dramatic kidnapping, and shows how the deep-rooted antisemitism of the Catholic Church would eventually contribute to the collapse of its temporal power in Italy. As Edgardo's parents desperately search for a way to get their son back, they learn why he--out of all their eight children--was taken. Years earlier, the family's Catholic serving girl, fearful that the infant might die of an illness, had secretly baptized him (or so she claimed). Edgardo recovered, but when the story reached the Bologna Inquisitor, the result was his order for Edgardo to be seized and sent to a special monastery where Jews were converted into good Catholics. His justification in Church teachings: No Christian child could be raised by Jewish parents. The case of Edgardo Mortara became an international cause celebre. Although such kidnappings were not uncommon in Jewish communities across Europe, this time the political climate had changed. As news of the family's plight spread to Britain, where the Rothschilds got involved, to France, where it mobilized Napoleon III, and even to America, public opinion turned against the Vatican. The fate of this one boy came to symbolize the entirerevolutionary campaign of Mazzini and Garibaldi to end the dominance of the Catholic Church and establish a modern, secular Italian state. A riveting story which has been remarkably ignored by modern historians--The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara will prompt intense interest and discussion as it lays bare attitudes of the Catholic Church that would have such enormous consequences in the twentieth century.\r\n9780679768203|JF|In these ten intertwined essays, one of our most provocative young novelists proves that she is just as stylish and outrageous an art critic. For when Jeanette Winterson looks at works as diverse as the Mona Lisa and Virginia Woolf's \"The Waves, she frees them from layers of preconception and restores their power to exalt and unnerve, shock and transform us. \u003cbr\u003e\"Art Objects is a book to be admired for its effort to speak exorbitantly, urgently and sometimes beautifully about art and about our individual and collective need for serious art.\"--\"Los Angeles Times\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51366073827551,"sku":"9780679768173","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/6CtxzBTRLW9780679768173.webp?v=1789080758"},{"product_id":"prisoner-of-the-vatican-the-popes-the-kings-and-garibaldis-rebels-in-the-struggle-to-rule-modern-italy-paperback","title":"Prisoner of the Vatican: The Popes, the Kings, and Garibaldi's Rebels in the Struggle to Rule Modern Italy - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePraise for David Kertzer and Prisoner of the Vatican: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Kertzer once again proves himself a truly compelling historian.\" -- André Aciman \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Prisoner of the Vatican reads like exciting fiction. And it has astounding contemporary relevance.\" -- Alfred Uhry \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Kertzer's careful scholarship and lucid writing make the human character of this religious institution quite clear.\" -- James Carroll \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Fascinating.\" -- Entertainment Weekly \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Lively . . . filled with telling anecdotes and colorful descriptions of the various characters involved in the struggle.\" -- America, the National Catholic Weekly \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Riveting and fast-paced . . . history writing at its best.\" -- Publishers Weekly, starred review \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"[A] rousing tale . . . from a masterful, controversial scholar.\" -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A chilling and timely warning of what happens when religious power becomes synonymous with political power. If you love Italy, if you love Rome, this book is essential reading.\" -- John Guare \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"As magically spellbinding as it is enlightening, replete with colorful characters and complex international and ecclesiastical politics and intrigue. Kertzer is a national treasure and his latest book another masterpiece.\" -- Kevin Madigan, associate professor, Harvard Divinity School \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"This book is a gift to everyone who welcomes the emergence of buried history, and a boon to anyone who has ever wondered about the origins of the wonderful, tenuously unified place called modern Italy.\" -- Tracy Kidder \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDavid Kertzer's absorbing history presents an astonishing account of the birth of modern Italy and the clandestine politics behind the Vatican's last stand in the battle between church and the newly created Italian state. Drawing on a wealth of secret documents long buried in the Vatican archives, Kertzer reveals a fascinating story of outrageous accusations, mutual denunciations, raucous demonstrations, and secret dealings. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhen Italy's armies seized the Holy City and claimed it for the Italian capital, Pope Pius IX, outraged, retreated to the Vatican and declared himself a prisoner, calling on foreign powers to force the Italians out of Rome. The action set in motion decades of political intrigues that hinged on such fascinating characters as Garibaldi, King Viktor Emmanuel, Napoleon III, and Chancellor Bismarck. No one who reads this eye-opening book will ever think of Italy, or the Vatican, in quite the same way again. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A gripping account of this little-known story.\" -- Washington Post \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A suspenseful and even captivating read . . . Kertzer illuminates one of history's darker corners.\" -- Providence Journal \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Extraordinary . . . Kertzer describes intrigue, spying, disinformation, and public relations campaigns worthy of any contemporary spy novel.\" -- Seattle Times \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e David I. Kertzer is author of several illuminating works of history, including The Popes Against the Jews and The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara, a National Book Award finalist. A professor of anthropology and Italian studies at Brown University, he lives in Providence, Rhode Island.","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51366074810591,"sku":"9780618619191","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/x2fl-ipgX-9780618619191.webp?v=1789080765"},{"product_id":"the-pope-at-war-the-secret-history-of-pius-xii-mussolini-and-hitler-paperback","title":"The Pope at War: The Secret History of Pius XII, Mussolini, and Hitler - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES \u003c\/i\u003eBESTSELLER - \"The most important book ever written about the Catholic Church and its conduct during World War II.\"--Daniel Silva \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Kertzer brings all of his usual detective and narrative skills to [\u003ci\u003eThe Pope at War\u003c\/i\u003e] . . . the most comprehensive account of the Vatican's relations to the Nazi and fascist regimes before and during the war.\"--\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Tolstoyan.\"--Cynthia Ozick\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003eBased on newly opened Vatican archives, a groundbreaking, explosive, and riveting book about Pope Pius XII and his actions during World War II, including how he responded to the Holocaust, by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of \u003ci\u003eThe Pope and Mussolini\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eWINNER OF THE JULIA WARD HOWE AWARD - LONGLISTED FOR THE PEN\/JACQUELINE BOGRAD WELD AWARD - A\u003ci\u003e NEW YORKER\u003c\/i\u003e BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhen Pope Pius XII died in 1958, his papers were sealed in the Vatican Secret Archives, leaving unanswered questions about what he knew and did during World War II. Those questions have only grown and festered, making Pius XII one of the most controversial popes in Church history, especially now as the Vatican prepares to canonize him. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 2020, Pius XII's archives were finally opened, and David I. Kertzer--widely recognized as one of the world's leading Vatican scholars--has been mining this new material ever since, revealing how the pope came to set aside moral leadership in order to preserve his church's power. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBased on thousands of never-before-seen documents not only from the Vatican, but from archives in Italy, Germany, France, Britain, and the United States, \u003ci\u003eThe Pope at War \u003c\/i\u003epaints a new, dramatic portrait of what the pope did and did not do as war enveloped the continent and as the Nazis began their systematic mass murder of Europe's Jews. The book clears away the myths and sheer falsehoods surrounding the pope's actions from 1939 to 1945, showing why the pope repeatedly bent to the wills of Hitler and Mussolini. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJust as Kertzer's Pulitzer Prize-winning \u003ci\u003eThe Pope and Mussolini\u003c\/i\u003e became the definitive book on Pope Pius XI and the Fascist regime, \u003ci\u003eThe Pope at War \u003c\/i\u003eis destined to become the most influential account of his successor, Pius XII, and his relations with Mussolini and Hitler. Kertzer shows why no full understanding of the course of World War II is complete without knowledge of the dramatic, behind-the-scenes role played by the pope. \"This remarkably researched book is replete with revelations that deserve the adjective 'explosive, '\" says Kevin Madigan, Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Harvard University. \"\u003ci\u003eThe Pope at War\u003c\/i\u003e is a masterpiece.\"","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51368233140447,"sku":"9780812989960","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/ePuw3NKbZs9780812989960.webp?v=1789125073"},{"product_id":"the-popes-against-the-jews-the-vaticans-role-in-the-rise-of-modern-anti-semitism-paperback","title":"The Popes Against the Jews: The Vatican's Role in the Rise of Modern Anti-Semitism - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn this meticulously researched, unflinching, and reasoned study, National Book Award finalist David I. Kertzer presents shocking revelations about the role played by the Vatican in the development of modern anti-Semitism. Working in long-sealed Vatican archives, Kertzer unearths startling evidence to undermine the Church's argument that it played no direct role in the spread of modern anti-Semitism. In doing so, he challenges the Vatican's recent official statement on the subject, \u003ci\u003eWe Remember.\u003c\/i\u003e Kertzer tells an unsettling story that has stirred up controversy around the world and sheds a much-needed light on the past.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this meticulously researched, unflinching, and reasoned study, National Book Award finalist David I. Kertzer presents shocking revelations about the role played by the Vatican in the development of modern anti-Semitism. Working in long-sealed Vatican archives, Kertzer unearths startling evidence to undermine the Church's argument that it played no direct role in the spread of modern anti-Semitism. In doing so, he challenges the Vatican's recent official statement on the subject, \"We Remember. Kertzer tells an unsettling story that has stirred up controversy around the world and sheds a much-needed light on the past.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51369696788703,"sku":"9780375706059","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/CT1WDt4RPd9780375706059.webp?v=1789144337"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/david-i-kertzer.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}